Britain's Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp has asked for criminal investigations into three Islamic preachers who are alleged to have promoted physical violence against wives in their sermons.
Philp sent letters to the Metropolitan Police and West Midlands Police, calling the reported comments "abhorrent" and saying cultural sensitivities should not stop law-enforcement action.
Yasin Munye, linked to Hackney Islamic Community Centre, is said to have claimed husbands may hit wives who refuse intimacy. Mahamed AbdurRazaq of Birmingham's An-Noor Masjid and Community Centre reportedly advised that men should first admonish their wives, then strike them in a way that would not cause bruises or broken bones.
Aqeel Mahmood, associated with Birmingham's Green Lane Masjid, was accused of stating that husbands could discipline wives for "rebellion," including leaving home without permission.
Shadow Justice Secretary Nick Timothy also wrote to the Crown Prosecution Service, urging prosecutions, though these requests do not prove any criminal offence took place.
The Metropolitan Police said on Sunday it was reviewing a complaint about the Hackney mosque, but the supplied report did not confirm whether formal investigations have started for all three cases.
Green Lane Masjid issued a statement saying it "unequivocally rejects violence, domestic abuse, coercion and all other forms of violence and abuse." The other two centres have not responded to requests for comment.
